


Beyond There but Before Now

by ChaoticWriterCrazy



Series: Beyond there and Before Now [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairytale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Brother-Sister Relationships, Family Dynamics, Inspired by East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Multi, Protective Siblings, Slow Burn Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-08-13 01:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7956502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticWriterCrazy/pseuds/ChaoticWriterCrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To say that Jack's family was surprised when a giant black barn owl came to them asking for their eldest son's hand in marriage would be an understatement.</p><p>To say they were surprised when Jack actually agreed to it would be an even greater understatement.</p><p>But to say they would allow him to go through this insanity without a single fight would be simply false.</p><p>They just didn't expect to be dragged along for the ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Jack gives his hand to an Owl

**Author's Note:**

> I need to give a big thank you to Qazsarea for being my beta reader, help me organize this story's plot, and for coming up with a more original title than a Nightwish song. You're awesome.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...and his family does not agree with his choice.

Once upon a time, there was once a large family that lived in a small hut near the edge of a dense forest.

Ana Amari and Reinhardt Wilhelm had met when they were very young. Ana had been an alchemist and hunter in a traveling caravan, which had settled in the village guarded by Reinhardt’s lord and master, for whom he had been an apprentice knight. They were an unlikely couple who fell hard and fast for each other, marrying at only twenty one. Their shared lust for adventure and exploration had led them on many adventures before finally settling down in the countryside beside a forest. There they had four children, twice as many as they originally had intended, but they were not ones to complain.

There was Jack, the eldest son of twenty-one. He was very handsome, pale like his father with bright blond hair and strikingly blue eyes, things he reportedly got from his paternal grandmother. He was a helpful young man who went out of his way to aid others, rarely if ever complaining even when it greatly inconvenience himself. He was also extremely inquisitive and had an interest in the arcane arts. Unfortunately that interest was never really expanded upon, not from lack of support from his parents but rather lack of resources. And also some very clear disapproval from the nearby villagers. While witchcraft was no longer outlawed and the hunting of witches made illegal, that didn’t stop people from…voicing their dislike.

Jasim “Jesse” and Angela “Angie” were the middle children at eighteen, sharing the position due to being twins. They were also very attractive, but were as different as night and day, in both appearance and personality. Jesse had their mother’s dark skin and eyes, but their father’s boisterous disposition. He liked to hunt with their mother, and had seemingly inherited her aiming skills and then some when it came to handling any sort of firearm. Meanwhile Angela had her father’s pale skin and hair but her mother’s more disciplined attitude. She favored medicinal practices, having read many of her mother’s books on the subject. She even had an apprenticeship with the local doctor to further this passion, and showed remarkable grace even when elbow deep in injuries or afflictions that made even grown men squeamish. Jesse and Angela were however close as close could be, being each other’s best friend and most fervent defenders in most situations.

Finally Fareeha was the youngest at twelve, and had been a very late surprise for the family. She was an adorable child, the spitting image of her mother when she was a young girl. Interestingly enough, she was the only one who inherited her mother’s black hair. She was very happy and excitable, inheriting their father’s habit of passionately throwing herself into whatever she did with unmatched ferventness. Her favorite thing in the world was listening to stories, be they of her parent’s own adventures, or the fairytales often beloved by children her age. She was too young to have decided what she wanted to be yet, but she was becoming more and more interested in swordplay.

Despite their unexpectedly large family, and the unfortunately cramped house due to finances, they were relatively well off for the better part of twenty years. They couldn’t afford many luxuries, but rarely did they go particularly hungry or cold during the winter months. Thanks to Reinhardt and Jack working the fields along with Ana and Jesse’s hunting, they usually had no trouble providing food for themselves. The house, while small, was more than serviceable. And that was all they could ask for in the end, for they had each other to depend on when things got hard.

Except, things got particularly hard this year.

Their fields had been struck with lightning, fire consuming their crops for the year. That might not have been so bad, they still had Jesse and Ana to hunt. That is until a pack of wolves had attempted to make a meal out of the two. It had been unexpected, as the nearby wolf packs usually avoided the places the villagers hunted, moreover tended to avoid hunters even when they came across each other. They had miraculously made it out alive, however Jesse’s left arm and their mother’s right eye had been beyond salvation. And while Jack tried to hunt in their place, and by no means was he even a bad hunter, he simply did not have their skills needed to feed their entire family alone (not when three of them were still growing and their father was, quite literally, a giant among men).

To make things worse, the winter was particularly harsh that year. They had to sell all of the books they had once grown up with to buy enough blankets and food to survive the winter. Jack, Reinhardt, and Ana were constantly doing odd jobs around the village for every extra coin. Jesse unfortunately couldn’t do much with his arm missing, and lord knew they couldn’t afford to get him a replacement. It was hard not to see how much this upset him, though he did try to put on a brave face.

And while relatively minor, Fareeha had what was apparently the mother of all nightmares, because she was now terrified of sleeping at night. She was convinced that the pale hideous creature of her dream would come for her if she let her guard down. So now she had self-inflicted insomnia and it was affecting her normally happy demeanor, on top of the stress she could sense from her family.

Things were looking particularly bleak that fateful day Jack and Ana returned home from their odd jobs around the village. They were both tired and hungry but that didn’t stop them from halting when Jesse bolted out of the house, looking frantic as he approached them.

“You’re not gonna believe what happened today.” Jesse stated, brown eyes wide with an incredulous look. 

“What happened today?” Ana asked in that indulgent way mothers usually did when their children said such things as ‘you’re not going to believe what happened.’

“No, seriously Mama, you’re not going to believe it.” Jesse repeated more firmly, “I don’t believe it and I saw the thing and the tracks it left!”

“What tracks?” Ana asked, now sounding more serious.

Jesse ushered them to the field where their crops had once grown, now burned and buried beneath at least a foot of snow.

Both their jaws fell open as they saw the imprint of an owl track.

Now that wouldn’t be so remarkable, if not for the fact that these owl tracks were as long as Jesse was tall (and he was only half a foot shorter than Jack).

“What on earth,”

“An owl.” Jesse stated. “A giant black barn owl with a white face just fluttered down from nowhere next to Pops!”

“Is your father alright?!” Ana asked, concern for her husband overtaking her previous shock at the tracks.

“He’s fine but the owl must’ve said something weird-“

“THE OWL COULD TALK?” Both Jack and Ana exclaimed, cutting Jesse off.

“Yeah,” Jesse confirmed, nodding in curt agreement with their shock. “And whatever it said, it’s left Pops _speechless_.”

That clinched both Ana and Jack’s fullest attention. Reinhardt Amari-Wilhelm was not one easily silenced.

They hurried inside their tiny little hovel, finding his father on his side of the table, shell-shocked with his hands running through his wild white hair. Angela stared at them with big round eyes, looking just as lost and confused as her brother while Fareeha looked around in sleep-dazed interest.

“Reinhardt, love, what happened?” Ana asked. “Jesse said a giant owl spoke to you?”

“It did.” Reinhardt confirmed. “And I’m still trying to wrap my head around what it said.”

“Well what did it say?” Ana asked. “What does it want? What on earth did it say to leave you so speechless?”

“It wants…” His father faltered, taking a deep breath, “It said…it… _wants to marry Jack.”_

Silence fell over the tiny kitchen. The worried and anxious looks of the older members had collectively turned blank.

“Uh, come again?” Jack said, wishing he had something smarter to say but finding himself a bit too stunned for an intelligent remark.

“It wants…to marry you.” His father repeated, sounding just as incredulous as Jack felt. “He, I think it was a he anyway, sounded male, said and I quote _‘Would you give me your eldest son’s hand in marriage? If you would, I will make your family as rich as you now are poor.’”_

The family traded dumbfounded glances before Ana finally asked, slowly and very unsure,

“And what did you say?”

“I said _‘I’m sorry, could you repeat that.’_ Because I thought I must have completely misheard him. Except I didn’t because he repeated the exact same line. _‘Would you give me your eldest son’s hand in marriage. If you would, I will make your family as rich as you now are poor.’_ I even repeated what I heard to him just to make absolutely certain he said what I thought he said and he said ‘yes’” His Father answered, and as he said it he was regaining some of his usual gusto. Except instead of his usual full-hearted passion, he was sounding more and more panicked, caught somewhere between incredulous and angry. “So then I said _‘I think that’s something my son should decide for himself. Come back in a week and we’ll have your answer.’_ He agreed and then he flew off.”

His Father’s hand waved in the air, gesturing the owl’s departure, before adding with an empathetic incredulity,

“It didn’t even occur to me that I should have told him ‘no’ and to kindly fffffff-“

He caught himself, looking at Fareeha, who blinked sleepily back at him, before changing his word choice,

“Flock off and stay away from my family until after it flew out of sight!” He finished, gesturing wildly before adding desperately, “It sounds ridiculous I know. And I would love to write it off as some hallucination brought on by hunger and exhaustion. But you saw the tracks he left! It was real and it really happened!”

“So, just to be clear.” Their mother said, still in that slow and unsure tone. “There is a giant talking owl coming next week expecting an answer as to whether or not our eldest son will marry him.”

“YES.”

And for a moment, they were all speechless, sitting there in dumbfounded silence. Nobody had anything to say. Nobody knew what to say or if anything could be said. It was too ridiculous to believe but the tracks only proved the reality of the situation.

So Jesse broke the silence in really what was the only proper reaction.

With laughter.

He started with an airy sputtering laugh, like he was trying to say something in between his giggles, but only bursts of short laughter came through. It eventually turned into an outright guffaw, ended up with him face down with his forehead against his remaining forearm against the table.

“Jesse this is not a laughing matter.” Their Mother scolded.

“It is too.” He laughed, genuine tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. “I mean, it’s sounds exactly like something out of a fairytale doesn’t it?”

He burst out laughing again as his mother glared,

“L-Like b-Beauty and the Beast! Oh my Gosh I thought Angie was the one we’d have to worry about getting weird suitors. But nope, Jack’s definitely topped any weirdo she could end up getting!”

That prompted Angela to snicker a little bit, earning her own glare from their Mother. But Ana herself was fighting a grin, eventually crossing her arms with fingers pressed into her temple,

“Oh good grief this is ridiculous.” She agreed as she chuckled. “Does he really think we’d just hand over our son to a complete stranger, no questions asked? H-He’s lucky you didn’t attack him.”

“I should have.” Reinhardt replied, now laughing too. “God only knows why I didn’t _but I should have!”_

“Well to be fair,” Angela snickered, “I-I think anybody would want some time to take in something like that. And technically speaking it is Jack’s choice to make. H-He is the one being courted after all.”

That sent everyone into a fit of hysterical laughter for several minutes.

“Besides,” Jesse chuckled, actually wiping away tears as he got his giggle fit under control. “It’s not like Jack would ever say yes, right Jack?”

Jesse turned it him, expecting Jack to also laugh as he agreed.

Except, Jack wasn’t laughing. Hadn’t been laughing the whole time. In fact he wasn’t even looking at anyone, eyes downcast in a thoughtful look, fingers covering his mouth as his chin rested in his hand.

“Jack?” Jesse tried again, grin turning concerned before dropping into distress. “Jack, you’re not actually going to say yes.”

“I’m thinking.” Jack replied, and that sobered up their giggle fit instantly. Now his entire family was giving him alarmed looks.

“About what?!” Jesse exclaimed incredulously. “He’s a giant owl, Jack!”

“He said he’d make you all ‘as rich as you now are poor.’” Jack replied. “I don’t think that should be entirely disregarded.”

“…But he’s a giant owl.” Jesse deadpanned.

“And likely a shapeshifter.” Jack replied. “Last I checked there’s no race of giant talking owls.”

“If there was I’m pretty sure we would have heard of it in our travels.” Reindhardt agreed, glancing at his wife who nodded in agreement.

“But if he’s a shapeshifter, why didn’t he come to father as a human?” Angela asked.

“Maybe he’s cursed?” Fareeha innocently suggested. “Maybe he needs Jack to fall in love with him to break it? Maybe it really is like Beauty and the Beast!”

“Fareeha, curses like that don’t actually exist.” Ana stated quite bluntly. “Love breaking a curse is strictly metaphorical.”

“Meta-what?”

“It’s a short, romantic way of saying they worked through the problem to break the curse.” Ana patiently explained. “Love may be the most powerful force on earth, but it isn’t a literal force in the same sense as magic. In other words, love itself doesn’t break the curse, it only drives people to work towards breaking the curse.”

“Oh.” Fareeha replied, looking disappointed.

“Still, the cursed explanation is none the less valid.” Angela observed. “Though if he needs Jack to break it and how is up in the air.”

“If he’s cursed then he’s clearly got some bigger problems to worry about.” Jesse said. “Why’s he bothering trying to get married when he isn’t even human at the moment. I mean being an giant owl kind of…”

He eyed Fareeha as he carefully chose his next words,

“…tosses a lot of married-people things out the window.” Jesse finished, before demanding, “Shouldn’t he be worrying about turning back into a human before trying to court anybody?”

“Maybe he’s already in love with Jack and doesn’t want to wait.” Fareeha suggested. “Love at first sight?”

“Fareeha, love at first sight doesn’t exist.” Ana sighed.

“But isn’t that what happened to you and Papa?!” Fareeha demanded indignantly.

“That wasn’t love at first sight. That was infatuation…”

“Infatuation?”

“…It’s kind of like a really big crush almost to the point where you’re obsessed.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, it was more like mutual infatuation that against all odds managed to develop into genuine love over time.” Her mother replied. “There’s a reason why I advise you children against following your father’s example and joining a caravan just to follow someone you had a crush on.”

“You were the one who convinced me to join!” Their father exclaimed a bit indignantly.

“I know.” Their mother replied. “I’m just as guilty of infatuation. We were both young and foolish and truthfully it was a miracle it didn’t end horribly. And though I am grateful every day for that miracle, my point is that love at first sight doesn’t exist. In real life it’s just mutual infatuation and in fairytales a means of quickly moving the plot along. Love isn’t some mythical force that just happens. It’s something that develops over time, through sharing of troubles, happiness, emotions and memories. And while it is easily one of the most beautiful and powerful emotions a person can have, it doesn’t just happen. He can’t be truly in love with Jack. It’s just not possible.”

Fareeha listened to their mother’s lecture with increasing sadness, little brow furrowing as a pout formed.

“And moreover, that isn’t what really matters in this situation.” Jack said, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Whatever the owl’s reasons for wanting to marry me may be, that is something I suppose I’ll have to discover for myself.”

Everyone stared at him with dawning looks of horror.

“Jack…” Jesse drawled, looking genuinely alarmed. “You’re not about to say what I think you’re about to say…”

 All it took was three words. Three simple words that could be use in so many situations, mean so many things, and yet decided the very path he would take in his life.

“I’ll do it.”

His family stared at him in complete stunned silence, before bursting out in unison

“YOU WILL NOT!”

“I’ll marry him.” Jack stated more firmly as everyone stared at him with looks of shock and horror. “If he’s going to follow through on his word, you’ll never have to want for anything again. How could I say no?”

“Maybe because he’s a giant fucking owl?!” Jesse exclaimed. Normally Jack’s mother would scold him for such language in front of Fareeha, however she was too preoccupied with the rather disconcerting decision her eldest had made.

“And a complete and utter stranger.” Angela added.

“And you shouldn’t sell yourself for our sake!” Their Mother barked, her tone caught somewhere between sympathetic and angry.

“And you should marry someone because you love them, not because they offer you enough money!” Their Father reasoned.

“AND HE’S A GIANT. FUCKING. **_OWL_**!” Jesse finished emphatically.

“None of that matters!” Jack snapped, slamming his palms down on the table and making everyone flinch back. “I’m not thinking about what he is, or how I know him, or yes even whether I love him! He’s offering everything we could ever need. Angela could finally study medicine like she’s always wanted,”

Angela looked a mixture of devastated and guilty, unable to find what she wanted to say in response,

“Mother and Jesse could afford any weapons and supplies they could need for hunting, hell _Jesse could replace his arm_ ,”

Jesse flinched, hand unconsciously grabbing hold of his other arm, where the [shirt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7956502/chapters/18196771) was tied off at the elbow.

“We could have all the books we used have as children, Fareeha could have whatever the hell she’ll need when she decides what she wants! You’d never go hungry or cold again. This is a chance to have everything we could ever need. I’d be crazy not to take it.”

“I WOULD ARGUE THE OPPOSITE BUDDY,” Jesse exclaimed incredulously.

“Jack, you don’t have to do this.” His mother said, shaking her head in an almost panic. “You shouldn’t have to do this!”

“You’re right. I don’t have to do this.” Jack agreed, before stating firmly. “But it’s my decision to make, and I’m not backing down from it.”

And that was that. Nothing what his parents or siblings said could shake his resolve. And they tried, for an entire week they tried to reason with him, not giving up until the very day the owl would come to fetch him.

“Jack you shouldn’t do this.”

“I can and I will.”

“HE’S A GIANT FUCKING OWL JACK.”

“Jesse that’s the dozenth time you’ve said it. You don’t have to keep pointing it out.”

“CLEARLY I DO BECAUSE _ **YOU’RE NOT GETTING IT!”**_

He even had to kick them out of their single bedroom when they attempted to unpack his things behind his back.

Thursday finally came, and with it, the owl in question.

He wasn’t certain what he had been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t what he got. The creature was huge, dwarfing his father (which was a feat unto itself). It resembled a barn owl in shape and appearance, but the colors were all wrong. His feathers were that of a raven, sleek like oil and black as the witching hour. The feathers around his face were white as bone, but what struck Jack the most were the eyes. They had no pupils or even whites, instead entirely engulfed by a red iris that seemed to literally have stars dotted across them.

He was…eerily beautiful. Now he understood why his father had been left dumbstruck. His own words seemed to elude him until the owl finally addressed him,

“Have you made your decision?” A deep voice asked, though the beak did not move Jack instinctively knew it belonged to the owl.

“I’m here aren’t I?” Jack replied.

“If it’s not too much to ask, I would like to hear you say it.”

Jack took a deep breath before breathing out,

“I’ll marry you.”

He flinched, head twisting away at the positively broken sound his father made.

“You’re going to need this.”

Jack looked up as the owl unfolded his wings, hiding his face from view for a moment. When he folded his wings back, he had a deep blue winter coat lined with snow-white fur in his beak.

“It gets cold while flying.” He explained as he leaned down for Jack to reach. “There are gloves in the pockets.”

“Thank you,” Jack replied, taking the offered coat and quickly putting it on. He didn’t have to ask where the owl got the coat from. There was obviously some type of magic involved, though what the exact trick was and how it worked eluded him. He might have to ask if he ever had the chance. It seemed useful.

 _It’s warm._ He vaguely noted as he tugged the red gloves on. _It's warm and it smells strangely nice..._

"Are you ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Do you need time to say goodbye?"

“You’re being very accommodating.” Jack observed.

“You _are_ going to be my husband.” The owl replied, and Jack couldn’t tell if he sounded warm, or _smug_ as he said it.

“NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!” Jesse suddenly burst out angrily.

“JESSE NO!” Angela exclaimed, seizing hold of her brother and wrestling to hold him back.

“LET GO ANGIE!” Jesse roared. “I’M NOT GONNA LET HIM JUST _TAKE_ JACK WITHOUT A FIGHT!”

“You say that like I’m kidnapping him. It’s not kidnapping if he agreed to go with me.” The owl said, getting a wordless roar from Jesse in response.

“Jesse,” Jack sighed pleadingly, only to grunt as something tackled his waist.

He looked down, and barely held back a long-suffering groan as he realized it was Fareeha.

“ _Fareeha_ …” Jack sighed, feeling his heart start to crumble. Honestly he had been preparing himself for this. The youngest daughter had been unusually quiet during the week. He thought it was only a matter of time before the other shoe fell and she finally spoke up.

However, instead of the wailing pleas he expected, she instead said with the stubborn determination only a twelve-year old was capable of,

“I’m going with you.”           

“WHAT?” Came the resounding cry, from everyone including the owl, red eyes going wide (well, wider) as he twisted his head in Fareeha’s direction.

“I’m going with you.” Fareeha repeated, her grip around Jack’s waist tightening, as if expecting resistance. “I won’t let you go alone, Jack. I’ll go with you.”

Jack was at a loss for words, jaw slack before coming back to his senses with a shake of his head.

“You can’t." He stated, one hand resting on her head as the other wedged between hers, readying to pry her off. She only clung tighter. "You can’t go anywhere without Mother and Father’s permission. Right?”

He turned to his parents and felt his heart stop.

They were both giving each other thoughtful glances, something they only did when they were plotting something. And oh great now Jesse and Angie were trading the same look.

"He's right, Fareeha, you can't go unless we say so."

"I'M GOING!" Fareeha practically barked, and Jack balked at the tone he had never heard her use with their parents before.

"Fareeha, there's no need to use that tone of voice." His mother replied sternly. "I didn't say you couldn't go at all."

And now it was the owl's turn to balk, head twisting back in Ana's direction.

"Excuse me?" The owl asked incredulously.

"I'm going to stop beating around the bush." Ana said, folding her arms as she walked up to Jack's side. "While Jack may be an adult who can make his own choices, I cannot as a mother allow him to sell himself to a complete stranger."

"Mother-" Jack began,

"I should have told you to flock off when you first came to me!" His father suddenly barked, marching towards his mother and glaring at the owl. "Lord only knows why I didn't but I won't make that same mistake twice."

"I'll cut this short by stating the obvious. You're about to threaten me, aren't you?" The owl asked.

"Damn straight." Jesse replied gleefully, he and his twin joining the group.

"I'm more than confident my husband and I could take you down. We've faced creatures far more dangerous and terrifying than an oversized barn owl." Ana stated confidently.

"I'm sure you could." The owl replied darkly. "But for obvious reasons, I'd rather not fight my in-laws. I don't suppose there's any way to resolve this peacefully?"

"There is actually. You take all of us to wherever you are taking Jack."

The owl blinked at them.

"Really?"

"If what you say is true, that you can 'make us as rich as we are now poor' then surely you would have no problem taking us all with you." Reinhardt reasoned.

"Fareeha's right. We can't let Jack do this alone." Angela said.

"Family sticks together through thick and thin." Jesse agreed.

"And we insist on staying together." Ana finished.

The owl seemed to consider them for a moment before stating bluntly,

“I can’t take all of you-”

“Well then,” Ana said with an air of finality, “I suppose the deal is off then. Come Jack,”

“Mother-!” Jack began, about to tug his arm away from his mother’s grip, when they were both cut off by a black wing separating them.

“Excuse me, I’m not finished.” The owl cut off, red eyes narrowing dangerously. “I can’t take you all _at the same time._ You,”

He pointed his wing at Reinhardt.

“Are a separate trip unto yourself. Maybe I can handle you and your wife but you, your wife, kids and whatever belongings you’re packing, not a snowball’s chance in Hell.”

Now his family was trading stunned glances, and frankly he was feeling a bit lost himself,

Was the owl really…?

“You,”

The owl now pointed at Jesse,

“Are going to need some kind of harness so you don’t end up falling off my back. While I’m confident I could catch you, there’s a distinct possibility you’ll end up losing another limb if I have to use my talons. And all of you,”

He gestured with both wings to the group as a whole, and that was when it struck Jack that yes, the owl was seriously planning on agreeing to their terms.

“Are going to need the thickest coats and furs that I currently do not have with me or else you’ll freeze to death before we even get half way home. I can take Jack and maybe I can take the littlest one if she stays buttoned up in Jack’s coat but anybody else runs the risk of severe frostbite and or _death_. So no, I can’t take all of you _right this minute.”_

“But you can take all of us eventually.” Reinhardt clarified.

“If you give me a few days, yes.” The owl replied before continuing, “I can take Jack and the littlest one home tonight, then come fetch who I can tomorrow, bringing furs and coats with me. The day after I’ll return for whoever’s left. So, if you are alright with it taking a few days rather than a single trip, I see no reason to deny your request. Is that to your satisfaction?”

Jack could swear to God he actually heard a smug little note to the owl’s words. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh or just openly gawk.

Thankfully his mouth remained firmly shut as he stared back at his family. They were openly grimacing at each other. Both Jesse and Angie were biting their lower lips, a nervous tick of theirs. Reinhardt was looking frantically between each of his family members with a completely lost expression. Ana’s mouth hung open slightly, looking stunned. It was very clear they had not expected the Owl to give into their demand so easily.

Fareeha was the only one who didn’t look lost and confused. But he suspected that was because she was too focused on the iron grip she had around his waist, her lips pursed with a stubborn expression. If she had claws, he wouldn’t doubt she’d have them sunk into his coat.

"Mother? Father?" Jack finally asked, still waiting for his parents response.

They looked at each other before Ana seemed to find her words once more.

“You would really go through so much trouble for us?” Ana asked skeptically.

“Truthfully, for you, no.” The owl stated quite bluntly, and he did not cower under the collective glower of Jack’s family. “But for Jack…”

There was something…something in the owl’s voice. He couldn’t explain it, but something in the owl’s tone sent a shiver down his spine entirely separate from the cold. And for the life of him, he couldn’t tell if he was flattered or unnerved by it.

“Then it wouldn’t be trouble at all. It’d be my delight.”

Ana gave him a skeptical look before turning to her family,

“Does anybody have any protests?”

“…Well we can’t exactly back down now that he’s called our bet.” Jesse grimaced.

She finally sighed in defeat.

"Alright. We accept."

"Good," The owl sighed, sounding genuinely relieved. "Is the little one coming with us, or will she come tomorrow?"

"I'm going." Fareeha repeated, sounding more and more agitated.

"Fareeha, I'll be fine. It's just for one day," Jack tried to reason. "You don't have to..."

"Neither do you!" She argued back, looking up at him with a determined glare. "I want to go with you!"

"Are you really sure?"

Fareeha’s face scrunched up at him for a moment, before softening all at once as she asked in reply,

"...Are you sure you want to go alone?"

No. He wasn't.

"...I promise I'll keep her safe..." Jack sighed to his mother, who patted his cheek in response.

"I know you will." She said, before hugging him.

That seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back, because soon he was being hugged by his entire family, his father lifting them all several inches off the ground.

"Be safe."

"We'll see you soon."

"We love you."

Too soon they let go, and too soon he found himself finally climbing onto the owl's back, Fareeha tucked safely in his coat and with her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Ready to go?” The owl asked when Jack had settled comfortably down.

 _As we’ll ever be._ Jack thought, but refused to say.

“Yes.” He instead answered, hoping he sounded more assured than he actually felt. Fareeha curled tighter around him in preparation.

“Hang on tight then.” The owl instructed, tensing for flight.

He opened his great black wings wide, flapping them a few times experimentally. The trees shook slightly as snow was sent flying. Jack glanced back to see his family, still staring forlornly.

“We’ll see you soon!” He shouted, and he definitely sounded uncertain.

“BYE!” Fareeha exclaimed, extracting her hand from inside Jack’s coat to wave frantically at their family. “WE LOVE YOU!”

Jack couldn’t tell if he was relieved, or unnerved by how distinctly unafraid Fareeha sounded.

In fact, she sounded _excited_.

Before he could contemplate this further however, experimental flaps turned assured. Fareeha’s arm wrapped back around Jack’s shoulder just before the owl took off, shooting like a bullet. The force of the wind caused Jack to flatten himself against the owl’s back, clinging to the feathers for dear life. Anxiety sky rocketed at the thought of the force combined with his weight would yank the feathers out and send him and Fareeha flying.

However they stayed firmly in place even as they went up, and up. Higher and higher, Jack’s ears ringing from the wind. The cold felt like a knife against his face, forcing him to bury his face in the feathers to escape it.

This is it. He thought. This is really happening.

We’re off.

* * *

 

Back on the ground, what was left of the Amari-Wilhelms stared as their eldest and youngest disappeared from sight, expressions varying degrees of shock and anxiety.

Silence fell over them like a vice. Not one of them dared say a word until the black dot that carried Jack and Fareeha disappeared completely. Even after the silence remained for an eternity of a minute before Jesse finally broke the silence.

“I’m done.” Jesse deadpanned, raising his flesh and his nonexistent hands in defeat as he turned on his heels. “I’m fucking done. I’m gonna go pack my things and then take a nap because I need a break from this ridiculous reality. Wake me up if a dragon comes along and starts asking for _my_ hand, because at this rate that’s a distinct possibility!”

He marched back into their hovel, parents and sister staring after him wordlessly. When his hand curled around the handle, Angela suddenly gasped loudly and pointed at the sky,

“DRAGON!”

“WHAT?!” Jesse almost outright shrieked, leaping a foot of the ground before slamming his back to the door and looking frantically where she was pointing.

Angela burst out laughing, Jesse immediately rounding on her,

“ANGIE YOU JERK WHAT THE HELL?!”

Ana couldn’t help but chuckle a bit,

“I think we’re all a bit wound up after that.” She said delicately, placing a hand on both her children’s shoulders. “Let’s get started on the packing now, you two go on ahead.”

“Yes Mama,” The twins echoed obediently, but Angela was still snickering and her brother still raged at her quietly as they went back into their soon to be abandoned home.

Ana watched them until they entered the house, then turning to her uncharacteristically quiet husband.

“Reinhardt…?”

“I don’t…I don’t know why I didn’t just say no. I should have said no. I should have told him point blank to scram and stay the Hell away from my family. Why…why didn’t I…?”

Ana felt her soft smile drop. She honestly didn’t know why he hadn’t. It was unusual for her husband not to wholeheartedly decide at the drop of a dime. Granted, anyone would be taken aback when confronted by a giant owl. Especially when said owl could talk and was requesting their son’s hand in marriage. It was easy to write it off as sheer overwhelming shock at the absurdity of the situation.

However, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was more at play.

“What’s done is done.” She said, opting to comfort her husband instead of worry him further. “Jack has already made his decision, and we have made the best of it. Whatever may be in store for us, we will face it as a family.”

She reached up, Reinhardt leaning down so she could place her hand against his cheek.

“You are not to blame for this.” She stated firmly. “Regardless of how…frankly absurd the offer was, Jack is a man and it was his right to choose for himself. Even if we do not agree with it, or with his reasons, it was still his choice. And even though our attempt to intervene with his choice clearly backfired, we can still support him as parents should.”

Reinhardt heaved a great sigh before placing his large hand over her own, a sad smile on his lips.

“I will never understand what I possibly did to deserve you.” He said, smile widening as he wrapped his arms around her smaller form.

“I ask myself the same question every day,” She replied, returning his smile and his embrace.

Both their smiles dropped as soon as the other couldn’t see it, concern laced in their features as they both wondered was possible future was in store for their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up completely re-writing the first part of the chapter to include some rather important details Qazsarea made me realize I should probably add. This ended up almost doubling in length because of it.


	2. In which Jack and Fareeha arrive at their new home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Jack has too many questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, unfortunately there isn’t nearly as much Gabriel as I had originally planned out. Unfortunately Jack and Fareeha ended up getting most of the spotlight, as well as some minimal exploration of their new home and how it works. But I can promise that next chapter will be almost entirely dedicated to pretty much the first significant one-on-one interaction between them. This turned out a lot more in-depth than I was expecting.
> 
> I’m glad people seem to be taking to this very well.

Jack liked storms.

He liked rainy days where the sky was a pretty gray and drops glistened against the windowpane, the smell of rain when the skies began to clear. He liked watching the wind blow dead leaves off the trees, coating the land in vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. He liked watching thick snowflakes dance into the light when all else was draped in black.

He _used_ to like watching lightning streak across the horizon, followed by a satisfying clap of thunder from miles and miles away. He was markedly _less_ fond of lightning after an unexpected bolt of it set their fields and nearly their house on fire.

And after today he suspected he’d lose his fondness for storms along with lightning.

He grit his teeth together to keep them from chattering, reaffirming his grip for what had to be the dozenth time in the past half hour. He couldn’t hear anything except the hard flap of giant wings against the roaring gale. If he craned his ears he thought he could hear Fareeha whimper occasionally, but he didn’t dare comment when he was doing no better.

They had been beset by an unexpectedly severe thunderstorm almost minutes after they had departed. Menacing gray clouds had seemingly appeared from nowhere, bringing with them high unpredictable winds and thick flakes of snow.

_KA-BOOM_

Oh yes, and thunder so ungodly loud it had yet to fail making him scream along with Fareeha. And Jack could swear he saw a flash of lightning at one point. He knew that lightning snowstorms were exceedingly rare, so he hoped it was his imagination. However it still nonetheless cranked up his already sky-high anxiety.

Not helping was the wind. While the owl was doing a remarkably good job of navigating the frankly violent winds so that Jack had little trouble hanging onto the feathers, his coat had been rendered useless. Its ever-changing current slipped through the gaps and chased away the enchanted warmth with prejudice. And they had spent so long with the snow falling on top them, that it had soaked through the back of his coat and into his feeble clothes.

So now he was freezing cold and sopping wet. Thankfully he could still feel all of his extremities and had yet to stop violently shivering, so he wasn’t worried about frostbite or hypothermia quite yet. But that would soon change if this kept up. Fareeha hopefully wasn’t too bad off, sheltered as she was between his chest and the one dry patch of feathers beneath them. She had long since lost her brief enthusiasm, however, and clung to him shaking like a leaf.

In short it was the type of thunderstorm that no one had any business leaving their homes in. The type of storm that would send sane travellers ducking for cover in whatever shelter was possibly available.

The type of storm _they should not be flying in!_

But the owl was clearly not that sane traveller. He had insisted they keep going, despite both Jack and Fareeha’s protests. He had assured them by saying that as long as Jack hung on tight, they had nothing to fear.

Jack and Fareeha had quietly agreed the owl was _out of his damn mind._

Not _entirely_ unexpected, all things considered, but none the less still worrisome.

However, there wasn’t much they could do about it except do as the owl told them and tough it out.

And Jack liked to think they had made a rather valiant effort of toughing it out. It certainly felt like it’d been at least a few hours of tolerating these miserable conditions. Well, actually it hadn’t been that bad at first, when it had only been the wind. But then it started to _snow_ , and then _rain_ began to mix with the snow turning it into _sleet_. And then the _thunder_ started. And now at this point, he didn’t care if they had only lasted ten minutes, they needed to get out of this storm NOW.

“DEAR GODS PLEASE TELL ME WE’RE ALMOST THERE!” He roared over the howling winds. Another clap of thunder damn near scared him out of his skin as he clenched harder at the feathers between his fingers. Fareeha whimpered, coiling tighter around him and he was pretty sure that wasn’t melted snow on her cheeks. “WE CAN’T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS!”

“Almost.” The owl replied, somehow his voice piercing over the wind despite remaining at the same volume it had been before. “I can see home now. It’ll just be a few minutes longer.”

Jack thanked every deity he knew of in relief.

“You okay?” He asked his baby sister.

“NO!” Came the borderline offended bark. Even in the miserable situation, he couldn’t help but chuckle in agreement.

“Me neither. But we’re almost there. Just hang in a bit longer.”

“Do I really have a choice?!” Fareeha groused.

Jack bit his tongue to keep from reminding his baby sister that she was the one who insisted on coming with them. It wasn’t going to help either of them feel any better. She had every right to be crabby and he was in no mood to lecture her.

He instead opted to look up and squint at their surroundings. It had gotten so dark and the snow was falling so thick that he could only see a few yards around them. However he thought he could see a patch of orange lights of a town to the left and what appeared to be a large black mass that towered above the town in question.

He was just about to ask where exactly their new home was, when a particularly violent gust of wind caught them all off guard.

“SHIT HANG ON!” The owl exclaimed as he actually ended up rolling in mid-air. Jack clung for dear life, Fareeha screaming in his ears and he was pretty sure he was screaming right along with her.

The owl managed to level out before they could be sent hurling off, but Jack refused to lax his grip on the now probably mangled feathers in his hands.

“Are you two okay?!” The owl asked, sounding genuinely worried.

“NO!” Fareeha shrieked.

“WE’RE NOT FALLING!” Jack managed out in clarification. “BUT WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO BE BACK ON SOLID GROUND SOON BEFORE THAT HAPPENS.”

“Right. Just another minute.” The owl assured, before muttering something in a language Jack couldn’t recognize.

“WHAT?” He exclaimed.

“Just keep hanging on!” The owl replied.

“OH _REALLY_? BECAUSE I WAS JUST THINKING IT’D BE A GREAT IDEA TO _LET GO_!” Jack snapped almost hysterically, finally at his wit’s end. _“’JUST HANG ON AND YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR’_ WELL SO MUCH FOR THAT!”

The owl didn’t reply, just kept pressing on even as Jack could swear the storm became rapidly more and more violent with every passing second. The wind seemed pound against them with the force of an actual fist. They were sent tossing in turning in all directions, Jack nearly thrown off several times. At one point he felt his entire body lift off the owl completely, only rooted by his hands buried in too large feathers.

And then it finally, _mercifully_ , stopped.

The owl flew into a cave, the snow, wind, and sleet cut off all at once. Jack heaved a shuddering groan of relief as the owl finally landed. He honestly couldn’t tell if it was melted snow running down his cheeks or his own tears.

He was however thanking every deity he knew of, then each and every one of his lucky stars, _individually by name_ , before repeating the process for Fareeha as he slid down the owl’s back and onto gloriously stable land. His legs almost gave out the moment his feet met the ground, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Instead he opted to hug Fareeha as close as physically possible, taking slow deliberate breaths as he waited for his racing heart to slow down. Fareeha made no effort to move, continuing to cling to him and shiver violently as she too took slow deliberate breaths, punctuated by the occasional wet hiccup.

The owl fluttered off a good distance away in the rather cavernous cave they’d taken refuge in. Jack didn’t have to wonder what he was up to for long. The owl started to shake the water off him, pretty much soaking half the cave in the process, but sparing Jack and Fareeha at least.

Not that it would have made much difference, they were both feeling very akin to drowned frozen rats at the moment, but Jack appreciated the consideration.

“Are you to alright?” The owl asked, fluttering over to them with concern in his tone.

“We’re alive.” Jack offered, and he could actually feel Fareeha glare at the owl, even with his eyes close he could see the not-really-menacing glower she was sending the owl’s way. And even he couldn’t resist adding dryly, “Miraculously enough.”

“I had no idea it would get that bad.” The owl said, staring out into the raging thunderstorm they had just escaped. “I figured if it was just wind it would be fine…”

As if just to prove the owl wrong, there was an undeniable flash of lightning that blinded the entire room for split second. And only another split second after it was followed by the loudest thunderclap Jack had ever heard, so loud he swore he felt the ground vibrate.

And in the awkward silence that followed afterward, Jack had to purse his lips and hold his breath before counting to ten, reminding himself that knowingly or not this was _his_ decision. He was the one who signed up for this, the owl had no way of knowing the storm would turn out the way it did, he’d already said sorry, they were alive, and he wasn’t going to help anything by being _snippy_. No matter how sorely tempted he was to do exactly that.

He let the breath go and while he really didn’t feel any better, he at least wasn’t going to snap something that didn’t _really_ need to be said.

“Why exactly did we have to get to your… our home so soon?” Jack asked.

“I…” The owl hesitated, “Have my reasons…”

“Care to elaborate?” Jack egged on,

“Not really.” The owl replied. “It’s complicated.”

Normally Jack would never accept such a vague and unsatisfying answer, and would press for actual answers. Except he was tired, wet, cold, hungry and everything ached from being tossed around like a ragdoll. Honestly he simply didn’t have the energy to even muster up the will to press for more information.

He did however make a mental note to ask again when he did have the energy.

“Whatever the case may be, I would very much appreciate it if _we never do that again.”_ He stated in what he hoped was a good impression of his mother’s ‘end of discussion’ tone. He got up as he said this, shrugging off the sopping coat while Fareeha followed suit. “Unless there is some life or death emergency where time is of the absolute essence, we are never going out in a storm like that ever again.”

“I…agreed.” The owl said, bobbing his head in what Jack assumed was meant to be a nod.

There was another awkward silence.

“So…” Jack hesitated before pressing on, “Where are we and how far from… _home_ are we?”

“We’re near a port town called Overwatch.” The owl answered, “Lots of trading and ambassadors coming in and out all the time. Honestly I think your family will come to like it very much.”

 _‘We’ll see about that…’_ Jack thought to himself but remained respectfully quiet.

“As for how far from home, about ten feet actually.”

“Pardon?” Jack asked, taken aback.

The owl used a wing to gesture towards a very large opening not much further in. Jack and Fareeha followed where it pointed, discovering a very large double door entrance made out of dark mahogany wood, the marble steps leading up to it seemingly built into the rock itself.

While the doors were easily big enough to fit Jack’s father without any complication whatsoever, which was rare, he couldn’t help but make an observation.

“How are you supposed to fit through that?” Jack asked.

“I have my own way.” The owl replied with an obviously intentional mysterious tone that Jack couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh at, or roll his eyes. “Just head up the first flight of stairs and turn left, that’s where the guest rooms are. Pick any one you want, it should have whatever you need regardless. I’ll bring you diner in an hour.”

“First flight of steps, turn left, got it.” Jack said, before turning around to ask the obvious question, “How are you going to-?”

He jumped so badly his wet shoes nearly slipped on the marble.

The owl was gone.

He looked around incredulously, wondering where the Hell the owl flew off to and so quietly too.

A chill halted his search however, reminding him he was still cold and wet and so was Fareeha. So he pushed out the owl for a moment, and the foreboding sense that disappearing act was going to become commonplace, instead pushing open the door to get inside.

“Whoa.” Was the first word that left their mouths.

It was… a castle. There was no other way to describe it. It was a castle that was quite literally carved out of the mountain itself. It was larger than any building either of them had ever seen before, the large grand foyer must’ve been at least a mile tall. The floor was laid with marble, contrasting the bluish dark grey of the smoothed out stone. The pillars that could have very well been there solely for decoration, melded seamlessly with the roof above. And nothing was left plain, every wall was carved with intricate patterns of flowers and beasts of all kinds.

There were only windows to the left, which were pelted with rain but otherwise let in no light. That was taken care of by the crystals hanging from the ceiling, bathing the place in a yellowish warm light the moment they entered. The largest cluster hang like a chandelier over the grant red-carpeted stairway that split in two directions.

For a moment both Jack and Fareeha were left dumbstruck, mouths agape in genuine awe. They had both heard of such places, practically raised on the tales of grandeur livings. But neither of them had ever expected to see such a place for themselves. Let alone live in one.

And this was only the entry hall. There was only more to discover from here.

Jack was…starting to feel a little dizzy.

Luckily Fareeha was there to keep him grounded, tugging at his sleeve as she pointed towards the left as the owl had directed.

They quickly trudged up the steps, Jack wincing as every step they could dragged in more and more water, but there wasn’t much either of them could do.

The door swung open to a mercifully smaller hallway lined with windows on the left and doors on the right. While it was still larger than any hallway Jack had ever been to before, he at least didn’t feel like a mouse in this one. More of the yellowish crystals illuminated the hallway, revealing the widely spaced doors Jack assumed had to be the guest rooms. Not wasting any time, they picked the one closest to the entry hall and went inside.

Like everything else, it was bigger than anything they were used to. Twice if not thrice as large as their original bedroom, and actually furnished with more than one very old bed. There was an actual dresser with a tall mirror, a wardrobe not far from the dresser, a desk that was tucked away underneath a large window and next to an even larger four-poster bed with deep crimson colored hangings. On the opposite side of the room was a door that, when open, led into a personal bathroom.

They took a moment to marvel before setting on changing out of their clothes and cleaning up.

Jack immediately went to work, drawing Fareeha a warm bath while she went to look for nightclothes. The bathroom was just as grand as the bedroom, large and spacious with a deep bathtub outright built into the dark rock. Its end was set very high, so high that there was a clearly manmade set of steps next to it. And around it were dozens of different colored liquids Jack could only assume was meant for hygiene. Above the bathtub was a large window that he suspected gave a magnificent view of…whatever he couldn’t see at the moment because of the snow and dark.

He didn’t have time to wonder long, as Fareeha returned with her towel and change of clothes. She had selected a poofy white nightgown and matching slippers that Jack could swear came straight out of a Yuletide storybook. She also reported that she couldn’t find anything in Jack’s size, only hers.

So once he had cut the water off at about half full, he ended up trying to figure out what exactly the many bottles of soap-like liquid were with Fareeha. They knew it was more than likely meant for cleaning hair, but why there were so many was what perplexed them. It didn’t take them long to figure out that they were all more or less the same, just that each came with a different and powerful scent.

Once Fareeha had selected a red bottle that didn’t so much smell like strawberries as it did an entire field of them, Jack left her to her own devices.

Meanwhile Jack decided to take this chance to take a good look around. While he didn’t dare leave Fareeha alone, he could at least rifle through what was already inside the room. Normally he wouldn’t search through another person’s house, but it was his home now and he supposed there was no reason he couldn’t.

Of course when one’s search is limited to a single room, one rarely finds anything of significant note. The desk had all ordinary items, different colored inkbottles, blank parchment, a couple of quills and fountain pens, even a couple stray books. The books did reveal something interesting, as he discovered they were written in another language when he opened them. Two different languages actually, one in Spanish (which while he couldn’t read he could at least identify) and the other written in one he couldn’t recognize. It reminded him somewhat of his mother’s Arabic, but the similarity was very slim as he didn’t recognize any of the letters.

Faerie language?

If that were the case, either the owl himself or the previous owners of the castle were descended from fae. Faerie language was unique in that you had to have faerie blood in order to read and write it. No one had ever been able to figure out why such was the case, as learning to speak it was surprisingly easy.

Being descended from faeries did explain a lot however. It would take a lot of magic to literally carve out a castle into the side of a mountain.

Though if this was a faerie castle then…

Jack turned his attention to the wardrobe behind him. The door was still open slightly, likely Fareeha didn’t notice she hadn’t shut it completely when she gathered her new clothes. And as he approached he could see all sorts of different Fareeha-sized nightgowns hanging innocently from their hangers.

It was a bit much for coincidence that the first room they picked just so happened to have children’s clothes perfect for Fareeha.

He wondered…

Jack closed the door completely for a moment, counting to ten just to be safe, before opening it again.

The nightgowns were gone. Now hanging from the clothes hangers were adult-sized nightshirts, pants folded neatly beneath them.

“Ah-hah!” Jack exclaimed with unnecessary triumph in his tone. “It _is_ enchanted. Probably changes to whatever you’re looking for.”

He thought so. Considering how much magic must have went into making this place, it seemed almost odd for the furniture not to be enchanted as well. It was probably silly to get excited over something that was comparatively plain as an enchanted wardrobe, but he almost never got to see anything magical first hand because of where they lived.

He had picked out a plain white long sleeved shirt and plain pants when Fareeha came out in her new nightgown, towel drying her hair and mood visibly improved by leaps and bounds.

“Feeling better?”

“Much,” Fareeha confirmed with a very happy and satisfied grin.

“My turn then.” Jack said, gathering the change of clothes and his own towel. “Wait here until I’m done okay, then we’ll see about getting something to eat.”

“Okay.”

* * *

 

After he was done half an hour later, he walked out with his hair smelling like cinnamon and relishing actually feeling _clean_ for once in a long while. They could never afford enough running water for so much as a shower, instead using the nearby river during spring and summer (when it wasn’t hypothermic levels of cold) and boiling water or snow during fall or winter. He’d forgotten just how bright his hair really was.

The clothes he picked fit him a bit oddly. Where as Fareeha’s nightgown seemed like it was made for her to wear, his clothes felt almost too loose. Like they were the right length for him, but were just a tad too wide, so he had to tighten the strings to keep everything from sliding down. He supposed the wardrobe couldn’t produce perfect clothes after all, only the closest match it could find. Which made sense if you assumed these were hand-me-downs, once owned by the people who used to live here.

That raised questions he was too tired to deal with, so he turned his attention to Fareeha sitting at the desk…with a platter of food?

There was a smallish pot full of stew sitting on the large tray, along with a split loaf of bread, cups of water, and two empty bowls set with the necessary silverware.

It smelled _delicious_ , and the scent made his stomach growl embarrassingly loud. Hungry as he was, he still had to ask the obvious question.

“Fareeha, where’d you get this?” Jack asked. “I thought I told you not to wander off without me.”

“I didn’t.” Fareeha immediately piped up, alarmed like one usually became when they believed they were about to get into trouble. “The Owl-man brought it.”

“Oh,” Jack replied, only temporarily satisfied before logic kicked in. “Wait, how did he even…?”

“You were right about him being a shapeshifter.” Fareeha stated simply.

“He was in human form?” Jack clarified.

“Uh huh,”

“You saw his face?” Jack asked incredulously, “ _Before I did?”_

He wasn’t sure if that should upset him or not.

“Uh-uh,” Fareeha replied, shaking her head, before pointing at her own face. “He was wearing a mask.”

“A _mask_?” Jack repeated. “Why would he wear a _mask_?”

He had asked this right as Fareeha took a big bite of her bread, so she made a muffled ‘I dunno’ sound without opening her mouth, shrugging as she chewed. He might have commented on her lack of concern for the increasingly strange behavior of their host, if not for the very loud reminder from his stomach that there was food.

The stew and bread was quickly devoured between them. The stew was thick, warm and filling, full of flavors and spices that he couldn’t identify for the life of him, but knew there was no way they could have ever afforded. Every bite chased away the last remnant of cold and left him with a rather pleasant feeling. Unfortunately he wasn’t really in the mood to savor it, more preoccupied with filling his stomach completely for the first time in well over a month.

By the time they were done every single edible bite was gone, leaving behind almost empty glasses and dirty dishes in its wake.

“That tasted so good.” Fareeha sighed.

“It did.” Jack agreed.

Granted, he at least had gone a long while without a proper meal, and at that point anything would taste good as long as it wasn’t outright inedible. He wasn’t about to tell Fareeha that, as the reason for that was because he’d been given up large portions of his own meals so that she could eat more. His father and Mother had been doing the same for Jesse and Angela.

“We should put this somewhere.” Jack said, eyeing the small mess they left behind. “I don’t know where the kitchen is at though.”

“He said it was okay to just leave it until morning.” Fareeha said, before letting out a very large yawn and rubbing at her eyes.

“It’s somebody’s bed-time,” Jack hummed delicately, expecting her usual resistance to sleep.

To his extremely pleasant surprise however, she nodded in agreement, before lifting up her arms.

“Pick me up?”

Jack eagerly swept her up, tossing her into the air before catching her just like their father would. He had no idea why she had abandoned her self-imposed insomnia, perhaps she was too genuinely exhausted to fear the creature of her nightmare, but he wasn’t about to question it. He let out an exaggerated grunt of effort as she landed on his chest, giggling as their arms wrapped around each other to keep her up. “You’re getting so big! Who said you could grow up so fast?”

“Think I’ll get as big as Papa?” Fareeha asked.

“ _Nobody’s_ as big as Papa,” Jack laughed, carrying her over to the bed. “Thank goodness too. I don’t think Mama could handle more than one giant in the family. You might get as big as me or Jesse, though.”

That was true. Angela appeared to be more or less done growing, hovering just a little bit taller than their mother. But with Fareeha so young, the court was still out on how tall she would end up. Though he was fairly confident if she was going to be as tall as their father, carrying her would be significantly harder than it was.

“But Jesse’s _short_.” Fareeha complained, squealing as she was unceremoniously dumped on the bed.

“Not for long.” Jack replied, pulling the covers and sheets back so Fareeha could scramble underneath. “He’s been growing like a _weed_ lately. You can tell because his sleeves keep getting too short for him.”

“You mean his sleeve.” Fareeha corrected, smile dropping.

She might as well have dropped a brick on his head for how swiftly that killed their bonding moment.

“Yeah,” He conceded, unable to hide his wince. He quickly recovered when he happily remembered, “Not for long though. We can get him a new arm now, one of those mechanical prosthetics. The kind that are supposed to be just as good as having your original limb.”

“Right!” Fareeha exclaimed, her face brightening up. “And we can get all our books back too!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this place has its own library of books.” Jack said. “Actually I’d be _shocked_ if it didn’t.”

“Can I get some toys too? Like a teddy bear? And a sword?”

“A wooden sword.” Jack stated sternly. “Mama would kill me if I let you get an actual sword.”

“But I can still get one? And sword lessons too?”

“If Mama and Papa say it’s okay, then absolutely.”

Fareeha squealed with delight, before hugging him which he returned.

They sat there in comfortable silence before Jack decided now was a good time to say what he felt needed to be said.

“Hey, Fareeha?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you came with me.” Jack said softly, pulling back to smile at her, “I know that wasn’t any fun whatsoever, and it’s probably really scary for you, but I do appreciate you being here. I can’t tell you how glad I am I’m not alone, and that everybody else will be with me.”

He hesitated feeling his voice getting thick and taking a moment to calm himself. He swore he wouldn’t cry through any of this, especially not in front of Fareeha.

“You’re the bravest one in our family, you know that?” He instead said, smiling a sincere smile because he knew he meant it.

“…I’m not really.” Fareeha said softly as she pulled back, “I just…couldn’t let you go alone.”

“That’s what makes it brave, Fareeha,” Jack praised, “Doing something because it’s what you believe in, even though it’s scary is real bravery.”

“But…” Fareeha began and now Jack’s own brow was furrowed, because she looked sad for some reason. “I’m not really scared. I mean, the flight was scary but that was because of the storm. But I think he’s nice, the owl-man I mean. And I think he really likes you.”

“What makes you say that?” Jack couldn’t help but ask.

“I dunno,” Fareeha shrugged, “It just…feels like he does. I don’t think he wants to hurt us. If he did, wouldn’t he have done it by now?”

“I suppose you have a point,” Jack said slowly, though he wasn’t sure where his sister was going with this.

“I just…I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of.” Fareeha said, before asking innocently, “Are _you_ scared?”

Jack paused for a moment.

Truthfully he was scared. Not scared of the “Owl-man” in particular, but rather what he wanted. The entire time he had taken in his surroundings, there was a sense of foreboding that continually gnawed at the back of his mind. This man, cursed or not, clearly had everything he could possibly want or need. Clothes, food, hell even power. Voluntary shape shifting, especially into something that defied the normal standards of the species, was highly advanced magic. He had to be at least a reasonably accomplished sorcerer to have such a magic filled home.

So what on earth did he want with _him_?

Jack still couldn’t wrap his head around why the owl-man wanted to marry him, so much to go so far as essentially bribe his family.

He really wasn’t anything special. He was handsome, he knew that, but handsome enough to make someone fall for him at first sight? _Hardly_. His family had virtually nothing worthwhile to offer, not when they were barely scraping by. And they were strangers, so he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he was wanted for his personality or intellect. And even solely for sex didn’t make sense. With all this wealth and power, simply hiring a sex worker would be much easier than getting married.

So what _was_ it? What did the Owl-man want exactly?

It was the not knowing that scared him.

Because when he didn’t know the answer…then anything was possible. And if anything was possible…well he could have a very morbid imagination if he thought too much.

However…

“No I’m not.” He lied smoothly, giving his sister a reassuring smile. “I just mean that it’s a huge change and change can be scary, even when there’s nothing to be scared of.”

Fareeha frowned like she wasn’t convinced, like she wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to say it.

And as much as it pained him to do it, he wasn’t going to give her that chance.

“Alright.” He said briskly, getting to his feet and clapping his hands together. “Time to go to sleep. We have lots of exploring to do tomorrow.”

He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“I’ll be in the room just next to yours, so if you need me, you don’t have to look far.” He said. “Good night,”

“Wait, Jack,” Fareeha said, sitting up, “There’s something the Owl-man wanted me to tell you before you go to bed.”

Jack blinked before kneeling back down next to her bed.

“What did he want me to know?”

“He wanted me to tell you. When you turn off the lights, don’t turn them back on when he comes in.”

Jack blinked at her.

“Why not?”

“He says it’s the only rule. He can’t come in until after you turn them off and you can’t turn them on until after he leaves.”

“Did he say why?”

Fareeha shook her head.

“Did he say what would happen if I broke that rule?”

“He said the deal would be broken and we’d go back to the way things were before we came here.” Fareeha answered. “He also said we’d be on our own trying to get back to Mama and Papa.”

“I see…” Jack drawled thoughtfully. “That is important to know, thank you.”

Before he could get up Fareeha hugged him again, and he could feel the desperation in this hug.

“There’s nothing to be scared of.” She said, “It’s just change, like you said.”

Jack felt his stomach twist at his sister’s obvious attempt at comforting him.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He agreed, “Good night, Fareeha, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Fareeha said, and that was when he finally left her room so she could go to sleep.

He walked back out into the hall, heading straight for the next door over. However, he hesitated outside of the dark deceptively innocent door.

_You can’t turn on the lights when he comes in._

A lover who only appears in the darkness, and is chased away by the light…

“Like Cupid and Psyche…” He muttered. “This just keeps getting stranger and stranger…or maybe _curiouser and curiouser_ would be more appropriate.”

Even has he laughed, he felt his stomach twist in on itself. He would bet his life that the moment the lights turned off, it would be pitch black in the room. While Jack didn’t mind the dark, he did mind being alone in the dark with a complete stranger. Especially when he’d also bet that stranger knew some kind of spell that allowed him to see in the dark.

Jack knew how to fight, it was one of the first things his parents had taught him, how to fight and defend himself should the need ever arise. And it did arise very occasionally, when someone decided to get too friendly, or thought his looks meant they could get away with harassing him. He’d never been particularly scared to fight, and what reservations he did have disappeared when he grew over six feet and years of farm work and manual labor built up his strength.

Defending himself would be a lot harder when he couldn’t see what he was swinging at. And ending up overpowered was a lot more likely when your assailant _could_ see.

He was being told to put himself at the other’s mercy.

His mind flitted through possible alternatives.

Maybe he could take a weapon? Where would he get one on short notice?

Sleep out here in the light? As if the owl-man couldn’t use magic to snuff the crystals out.

Leave the lights on inside. No, same result as staying out here.

Sleep in Fareeha’s room? As if he could ever put his sister in danger, he was disgusted with himself for even considering it.

Jack felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as his options ran out. There wasn’t anything he could do to win if worst came to worse. Besides just comply and hope for the best. Then again, wasn’t that his plan from the very beginning? Wasn’t that what he’d tried to prepare himself for during the past week, when he made this decision?

He supposed he convinced himself he could fight back if something bad were to happen.

Naivety at its finest, he supposed.

With that weighing on his heart, he steeled his nerves, opened the door, and went inside.

* * *

 

Just as the door clicked shut behind him, shadows moved from their hiding place, collecting in front of the door until a man now stood where Jack had just moments before. A creepy skull-like owl mask was removed, revealing the handsome dark-skinned man that lay beneath. Red eyes bore into the door before flicking to the side willing the crystals to plunge the outside hall into complete darkness. Now the only light that remained was that which leaked underneath the door in front of him.

Well, now everything was in place, the only thing left to do was wait just a little bit longer.


	3. In which answers only lead to more questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...and before that Jack almost has a heart attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry for the long ass wait for the update. Some of the fandom drama got to me and I lost inspiration for the story for a bit. But after I found the first draft of this chapter I decided to give it another shot because I actually really like this story.
> 
> Also a great big fat thank you to Qazsarea for not only forgiving my dropping off the face of the earth with no warning, but for also being willing to be my beta-reader again. You're really awesome and this chapter is dedicated specifically to you as thanks. 
> 
> Also heads up to anybody who came in because they saw the Mchanzo, Gency, and or the Symbra tags, they ALL will be appearing sooner or later (in fact Symbra should be making an appearance either the next chapter or the one after the next chapter). It is however going to take a little bit because with the exception of Ana/Reinhardt and Symbra (since both pairings are established before the start of the story), almost every romance in this is going to be very slow.

 

The next few minutes were something of a blur to Jack. He wasn’t really thinking in-depth as he dropped his bag next to the wardrobe. In fact he barely registered how the room was almost exactly the same as Fareeha’s, only mirrored. It seemed barely seconds between washing his face and brushing his teeth before he quickly riffled through the desk.

It yielded even less results than his search in Fareeha’s room. He couldn’t even find any stray books, just writing supplies. And it wasn’t until he almost started checking the drawers the third time that he realized he was stalling the inevitable.

With a heavy knot of dread churning his stomach he slowly approached the bed and sat on its edge, staring at the crystals embedded in the walls. Anxiety crawled through his veins like icy needles. A leg started to absently bounce up and down with jittery energy. Teeth clamped down on his lip as he breathed slow and deep through his nose.

He needed to calm down. Sure he had no idea what was going to happen when he turned off the lights, but that was no reason to assume the worst would happen in the dark. The Owl-man had been nothing but agreeable so far, Jack had no reason to assume he wouldn’t continue to be so.

 _But you have no reason to believe he’ll continue to be so either._ The festering parasite of his fear remarked. _There are always people who act nice at first, but the moment they get you alone-_

He cut that thought off with a frustrated whine, hands flying to his head as he raked his fingers through his hair.

How on earth had Psyche been so calm?! How could she so easily trust herself to a complete stranger whose face she couldn’t even see?! He technically had much more choice in the matter than she, and yet he felt like his heart was trying to claw its way up his throat.

He wanted to run.

To cry.

To scream.

To beg for a chance to change his mind.

Anything but turn the lights off and wait for whatever fate the Owl had in store for him.

He should have listened to his family. He should have scoffed and told the Owl no just like they had begged him to for the past week. Or at the very least thought a bit more deeply about just what exactly he was getting himself into.

But no. He’d been blinded by the prospect of his family’s comfort and guaranteed wellbeing. And it was far too late to turn back now. Not when he had Fareeha here, to suffer the consequences of his change of heart along with him.

Suddenly he wished he hadn’t given in so easily to her demand.

Calm down.

He had to calm down.

After a few more deep breaths he swallowed his anxiety. It didn’t work very well, not when he was shivering like he had a chill. But none-the-less, he swung his legs up so he was sitting on the bed, back pressed into the propped up pillows. With another deep breath, he reached over towards the crystals beside him, waving his shaking his hand and willing the light gone.

The darkness almost seemed to come crashing down like a rock around him. He was right to assume that it would be pitch black. No matter how long he waited, his eyes would not adjust. For what little light there could have been clearly wasn’t enough to make a difference. It was like everything had just disappeared into nothingness, everything except the bed he sat on. He felt smothered, petrified in place. As if the darkness itself kept him frozen on that little island in a sea of oblivion.

He was all too aware of what little he could make out with his remaining senses. How his skull felt almost vaguely numb with tingly static, how his heartbeat throbbed in his ears like a frantic drum. His breath was shaky, vibrating from his now violent shivers that wracked through him. Hands clutched at his stomach, twisting and worrying at the fabric of his borrowed shirt. Legs curled up as he pressed the back of his head to the headboard, trying to keep his breathing under control as sheer panic coursed through him.

He felt as if he might faint.

And truthfully he kind of hoped he _would_ faint. As embarrassing as it was to admit, then at least he might be spared of this unbearable anxiety as he waited for what came next.

He didn’t have to wait for long, though it felt like an eternity.

The door slowly creaked open, causing Jack to suck in a breath.

There was a pause, the Owl-man waiting to make sure he didn’t turn on the lights, before the door slowly creaked close with a click.

Jack heard the click of boots walk across the room, past the bed and towards where the dresser was supposed to be. Sure enough he heard drawers pulled upon, then the hollow echo of someone searching through them. He heard the rustle of fabric as clothes were removed before hearing a slight swish as they were carelessly tossed aside.

Bare feet patted against the floor, this time heading in the direction of the bed.

The bed creaked as it dipped under the weight of its newest occupant. Jack could barely hear it over the pounding of his own heart in his ears. His chest was getting tighter and tighter with every second. He was biting his lip harder than what was probably recommended, trying to keep silent as every ounce of his being screamed to run.

“Jack?” The Owl-man’s voice broke the silence, a heavy hand curling on his shoulder.

And just like that, Jack felt something in his mind _snap_.

He sprung like a triggered mousetrap, jumping so badly he fell off his side of the bed with a yelp.

The pregnant silence was mercilessly shattered as Jack hit the floor, knocked over the nightstand and struck the back of his head on it. Stars bloomed across his vision as he let out a painful hiss that was masked by the wooden clatter of the toppled nightstand.

“JESUS!” The Owl-man gave a startled cry, just before Jack dazedly registered the sound of bare feet slapping against the floor. Not a moment later he was hauled to his feet by a pair of large hands. Stars continued to dance across his vision as he swayed and felt those hands grip at his shoulders to hold him steady.

“Are you okay?” The Owl-man asked with an anxious laugh.

“Oowww, fuck that’s going to leave a mark.” Jack groaned, fingers rubbing at the base of his now throbbing skull. “Yeah, yeah I’m okay I…”

He trailed off, an overwhelming sense of awkwardness coming over him. It seemed to only now dawn on him just how close he was to the Owl-man, who was still gripping at his shoulders. One step and he could walk right into his chest.

 _‘Is he even wearing any clothes?’_ Some extremely unhelpful part of his brain demanded, making Jack’s face heat up.

“I…” He began again, heart starting to race. “You um…s-startled me…”

The jitters were coming back. This was too much too fast and he didn’t know how to make it stop.

“Jack?” The Owl-man’s voice inquired, “Are you alright? You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“I-I suppose I’m just n-nervous…” Jack replied,

“Nervous? About what?”

Jack paused for a moment, staring unseeingly at the man in front of him. Once again he couldn’t tell if he was being mocked or not, but the man’s voice sounded sincere.

“What exactly did you think was going to happen when the lights went out?” The Owl-man asked in a cautious sort of tone. There was no lewd suggestion to his voice, no patronizing sarcasm. It was just an honest question.

He really didn’t know what Jack was nervous about.

Which meant…

All at once the anxiety and panic Jack felt disappeared as he was struck with the realization that nothing was going to happen between them. He found himself staring into space with his lips pursed, completely frozen still with relief and utter embarrassment.

It was now clear to him that he had worked himself up into a panic over nothing. His worst fears had been proven false. And now that they had been proven false, Jack didn’t want to admit that he had them in the first place. Like most people in such a situation when they panic only to realize they had nothing to panic over, he wanted to slink away and pretend it never happened.

Unfortunately he could feel the Owl-man’s gaze fixated on him, expectantly waiting for his answer. He was trying to figure out how to worm his way out of it when the Owl-man finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“Jack…did you think we were going to have sex on the first night?”

He sucked in a breath through his nose, his face heating up. As much as he didn’t want to talk about it…there was no point in trying to hide it anymore.

“I…uh…” Jack stuttered out, his face getting hotter. He must’ve been beet red with embarrassment. “I…might…have… _jumped to conclusions-”_

He heard a resounding smack that he was pretty sure was the Owl-man’s hand hitting his forehead.

“Oh my fucking-!” The Owl-man groaned, “I was _wondering_ why you were taking so long to turn of the damn lights!”

Jack honestly didn’t know what to respond with so he just stared ahead with his face on fire.

As he did this, he noticed that his eyes were finally picking up on what little light there was. He could vaguely make out the man standing before him. It wasn’t much, only the most basic of shapes, but it was better than the utter blindness.

Well now that his fear was gone, curiosity couldn’t help but take its place.

He stared hard, squinting as he tried to discern what little he could about his husband-to-be.

The Owl-man appeared to be not much taller than him, maybe by an inch or less? He also appeared to have a similar build, but was just a little bit broader than Jack. He also somehow seemed…more rounded with softer angles. He also appeared to be bald because Jack could vaguely make out the silhouette of ears jutting out at the sides of the man’s skull.

But other than that, Jack couldn’t make out any defining features of his face.

"Jack."

A dark vaguely hand-shaped mass patted at his face, startling him out of his reverie.

“What?” Jack blurted out, taking a second to come back to himself.

“Did you hear any of what I just said?” The Owl-man asked,

“Uh…” Jack felt his face heat up again as he admitted, “Not…really…”

He heard an exasperated sigh as the Owl-man carefully repeated,

“I _said_ , I’m sorry you got the wrong idea but rest assured you do not have to worry about consummating our union for a long time.” The owl man said, before adding in an almost sad tone, “If at all.”

That caught Jack’s attention.

“What’s that supposed to mean, _‘if at all?’_ ”

He heard another sigh before he felt the Owl-man take his hand.

“Let’s sit down first. It’s kind of a long explanation.”

Jack allowed himself to be maneuvered back to the bed and sat down on its edge, the Owl-man sitting next to him with a muffled squeak from the mattress springs.

“Alright,” The Owl-man sighed, “We should probably start with the basics. Have I even told you my name yet?”

It was only then that Jack realized, to his slight embarrassment, that he didn’t even know his own husband’s name yet.

“No,”

“It’s Gabriel,” The Owl- _Gabriel_ provided, “And before we start I need to make something clear. I want to be honest as I can and tell you that there’s a lot more to the situation than what I can actually explain. I won’t ever tell you an outright lie, but I can’t always give you the entire truth. So whatever questions you inevitably have, there are going to be ones that I have to say ‘I can’t tell you.’ You’re going to have to accept that as my answer.”

“So not even the first night and you’re already hiding things from me.” Jack observed. “That’s…not exactly the best start to a relationship.”

“I know,” Gabriel chuckled slightly in agreement. “But I figured it’s better for you to know it now instead of discovering it later.”

Jack could concede to that logic.

“So what can you tell me now?”

“I have this deal going on with my parents. They want me to marry this girl that I really do not want to marry.”

“Of course,” Jack deadpanned before he could stop himself,

Thankfully Gabriel didn’t seem to take offense, chuckling as he replied,

“Cliché, I know. But there’s still more. You see the girl herself is my best friend, but we both agree that our affection for each other is that of friendship. More importantly, there’s this Romani boy she’s completely taken with, and I myself have someone I’d much prefer to spend the rest of my life with. As you might guess my parents are not at all okay with this development.”

Gabriel sighed before continuing,

“They’ve been planning this marriage for a long time and both our families stand to benefit from our union. I’ve been fighting with them over it for a year now and they’ve gone through some… _extreme_ lengths to get me to comply with their wishes.

He paused for a moment, his voice taking a dark tone,

“Lengths that I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to forgive them for. I’ve threatened to disown them entirely because of the things they did. It’s…infuriating to say the least. This deal is something of an ultimatum between us. If I can pull this off, Amelie and I will be free to marry whoever we want and neither of our parents can protest. If I can’t, well I doubt I have to explain that.”

“Okay,” Jack said with a curt nod, taking all this information in. “Well I suppose the most obvious question would be, what exactly does your end of the deal entail and what the Hell does it have to do with marrying me? What about this partner you spoke of?”

“I’ll get to him in a second.” Gabriel assured, “Let me explain your first two questions…”

He trailed off for a moment, as if considering his next choice of words very carefully. It wasn’t long before saying with an unmistakable shrug,

“…I suppose there’s no reason why I shouldn’t just come out and say it. I need you to fall in love with me within a year’s time.”

Jack balked, staring wildly in the direction of Gabriel’s voice.

“…I’m sorry, what.” He finally deadpanned.

“I need you to fall in love with me.” Gabriel repeated. “If you fall in love with me by this time next year, truly fall in love with me, then my parents have agreed to absolve Amelie and I’s marriage and we will both be free to marry whoever we want.”

Jack continued to stare wide-eyed and unseeing in Gabriel’s direction.

“…That’s it.”

“That’s it.” Gabriel replied, before amending, “Well not completely. You can’t see my face during that entire time.”

There were a lot of things Jack wanted to say to that. He really did. But for some reason the only thing his brain could come up with as,

“…Why not?”

“I…can’t tell you.” Gabriel said apologetically, “It’s a part of the rules and it’s not negotiable. And don’t think you can get away with pulling a Psyche and try to sneak a look while I’m sleeping. I’ll know if you do regardless of whether you accidentally drip wax on me.”

 _‘So he is aware of the comparison.’_ Jack thought rather dumbly, still trying to wrap his head around this frankly absurd explanation.

This sounded exactly like something out of a fairytale. The only thing it was missing was a wicked stepmother and a pair of cruel stepsisters. The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. In fact Jack was starting to wonder if it wasn’t just some elaborate cruel joke that Gabriel was playing him the fool for.

However…

“Gabriel, I see two major flaws with your plan.” Jack stated, “First of all you bribed me to agree to all this. I’m only here because you promised to take care of my family if I agreed to marry you. If this deal falls through and my family ends up the way we were before the start of all this, how do you know that I’m truly in love with you and not just pretending to be for their sake?”

“Well if you were planning on doing that, you just sabotaged yourself by pointing that out.” Gabriel replied, “Regardless, if this deal falls through your family will not suffer for it. As long as you hold out for the year and follow the rules, I will personally see to it that you and your family are taken care of should things not pan out the way I hope them to."

"Uh huh, and what's the catch?" Jack replied,

"There isn't one. I'm a man of my word Jack."

"Says the man who just openly admitted to be withholding information."

“…You don’t believe me do you?” Gabriel deadpanned.

"Of course not!” Jack exclaimed, “You're telling me that even if this whole thing turns out to be one massive waste of time for you, you'll still pay for all my family's expenses, no conditions or responsibilities on my end?”

“Well, not exactly.” Gabriel said, “Like I said it’s only if you hold out and follow the rules for the year. If you don’t then you’ll be left with nothing but the clothes on your back and a very long trek home.”

Realization struck Jack like a bolt of lightning.

“That’s why you so readily agreed to let my family come!” He exclaimed, “I can’t break the rules when I know my entire family will suffer the consequences of my choice!”

Gabriel didn’t respond for a moment,

“…Actually I wasn’t really thinking about that when I decided to let your family come.” Gabriel said with that sort of stunned tone people tend to use when something just occurred to them. “Honestly I just wanted to avoid a fight with them. Plus, it’s a _castle_. It’s _supposed_ to have a lot of people living in it.”

“But hey if it keeps you from doing something stupid, all the better really.” He finished with an audible shrug that annoyed Jack more than it should have.

“That’s beside the point!” Jack insisted, “You're being far too generous for it not to be suspicious. You just told me that your entire future and that of your friend depend on things working out, and yet you're not holding any kind of...collateral or something?"

"If I had some kind of threat over your head to get what I want, that wouldn't be love at all. It'd be Stockholm syndrome at best." Gabriel responded, an annoyed sort of hurt to his tone. "I freely admit I bribed you here, but you forget that it was to get you here, not to get you to love me. We had an agreement the moment you said you would marry me, as long as you follow the conditions I gave you for the year I'm obligated to follow it."

Jack really didn't want to let this go. He had a hard time believing that things could work out so smoothly even if Gabriel doesn't get the one thing he's after in this entire scenario.

"You said there was another flaw," Gabriel prompted as Jack remained silent for too long.

He stared hard at the direction of Gabriel's voice.

“Fine.” He sighed, “The other flaw is much more glaring. You say that I need to fall in love with you within a year’s time, right? Well that might have worked if not for the fact that in your explanation you admitted you already had someone else. Your entire gambit relies on me falling in love with someone I know won’t love me back! How am I supposed to fall in love with you now when I know that you’re just going to break my heart the second I give it to you?”

Of all the reactions Jack though he would get, he wasn’t expecting laughter of all things. He thought he could make out the shape of Gabriel's shoulders shaking with mirth.

“The Hell is so funny?” Jack demanded as Gabriel chuckled. “I don’t find this amusing at all. You-!”

He was cut off when fingers gripped his chin and a soft pair of lips pressed against his cheek.

 _‘He has a beard?’_ Some part of his short-circuiting brain noted dumbly. He felt it tickle around his cheek where Gabriel’s lips were pressed.

Gabriel pulled away before Jack had a chance to come to his senses. And just as he was about to get angry and shove Gabriel away, he said

“Jack, there isn’t a ‘someone else.’ The man I want to spend the rest of my life with is sitting right next to me.”

Whatever Jack was going to say got caught in his throat, a strangled sound the only thing leaving his lips.

What...?

“You don’t have to worry about me breaking your heart the moment you give it to me.” Gabriel said, “I’m not asking you to fall in love with me without my love in return. You already have it.”

For a long moment he could do nothing but stare in dumbfounded blind silence.

He heard Gabriel sigh,

“I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me…” He began,

“No I…” Jack cut him off uncertainly.

“You _do_ believe me?” Came the surprised question.

“Well not exactly it’s just…” Jack again began, confused mind trying form a comprehensible answer. He gave up and let out a frustrated groan, pulling away as his fingers raked through his hair again.

It did make sense, bizarrely enough. It explained why he wanted to marry Jack. It explained why he was so attentive and quick to compromise with his family. It explained why Gabriel would through so much trouble, and yet promise to accept failure gracefully should Jack not return his affections.

As strange as it was, Gabriel loving him explained the entire situation quite nicely.

But at the same time it _didn’t_ make _any_ sense because…

“How?” Jack finally demanded, snapping his head towards Gabriel’s direction. “How are you already in love with me? I don’t…I don’t even know you! We’ve known each other for all of a day. How the _Hell_ can you be in love with me?”

Gabriel didn’t respond so Jack continued.

“And don’t you dare tell me it’s love at first sight! That doesn’t exist anywhere outside of fairytales, and I refuse to believe that can possibly be true even if this entire situation is fairytale like.”

“It’s not.” Gabriel agreed sadly. Jack could see his silhouette visibly sagging,

“Then how…?” Jack began, before sighing, “You can’t tell me.”

“No.” Gabriel sighed with audible regret.

Jack saw Gabriel reach towards him just before he felt a soft warm hand cup the side of his jaw, thumb brushing along his cheek. Despite the intimacy of the gesture, he leaned into it sighing as he let his eyes slide close. The adrenaline from his useless panic had long since faded. He was tired, tired from the journey, tired of anxiety, tired of being confused and suspicious.

“I want to. I want to tell you everything so badly, Jack.” Gabriel whispered, his voice thick with remorse and sadness. “More than you can possibly understand. But I can’t. Not right now. If everything works out, then I’ll tell you everything you need to know. But if it doesn’t…it won’t matter if you know or not. In fact…you’ll be better off not knowing if things don’t work out.”

Jack took this in, starting to feel strangely taciturn.

“…Somehow I don’t think it’ll turn out that simple.” Jack replied in his own sad whisper. The air between them was becoming…empty somehow. He could feel the missing pieces of whatever Gabriel wasn’t telling him. He felt its importance, and how much it affected him. But he couldn’t quite grasp how.

He heard a sad laugh, and could feel warm breath brush softly against his face, signaling that Gabriel was leaning closer.

“It almost never does,” Gabriel sighed in agreement.

He felt Gabriel’s other hand cup the other side of his face, gently pulling him forward. He could see the dark shape of what he assumed as Gabriel's head slowly draw nearer and nearer with obvious intent.

“I know it’s a lot to ask…but can I-?”

Even before he said it Jack knew what he wanted, on some instinctual level. He barely considered for a moment before closing the gap and pressing their lips together, cutting Gabriel off before he had a chance to finish.

It shouldn’t have been so easy to do it. They were complete strangers. Jack himself had just been panicking at the prospect of any sort of intimacy not twenty minutes ago. Even Gabriel seemed surprised, freezing a moment as Jack heard him take a sharp breath through his nose.

He quickly got over it, hands leaving Jack’s face so they could wrap around his frame and pull him closer. All at once Jack was surrounded with warmth almost overwhelming affection, one arm around his waist while a hand cradled the back of his still sore head.

And Jack let him, offering no resistance and instead reaching out to cradle Gabriel's face in his hands.

Because some strange part of him felt that it was needed. That they both needed this small moment of intimacy.

Dimly he realized that Gabriel did not in fact have a beard, but rather a goatee as his fingers felt only smooth skin along his jaw. Unable to resist curiosity even now, his fingers traced up Gabriel's tempts to feel at where his hairline to be. He wasn't bald either, he just had very thick short curls shaved close to his head.

That observation was quickly drowned out as he parted his lips and allowed the kiss to deepen.

It was hard to tell how long they just sat there kissing. It wasn’t heated or passionate, nor did it become so over time. It was slow and soft, a gentle sort of intimacy overflowing with a taciturn sweetness. In a strange way, Jack didn’t want it to stop.

But it did stop. They eventually pulled apart, Jack cheeks feeling pleasantly warm. He thought he could feel Gabriel staring into his eyes, even in the darkness.

“…I don’t even know what you look like,” Jack whispered, not entirely sure why he choose that of all things to say. “How am I supposed to fall in love with you when I can’t even see your face?”

Gabriel just sighed again in response, hugging him closer as he rested his chin against Jack’s shoulder.

“All I can ask you to do is to try.” Gabriel said, his voice pleading. “Please just…try.”

Jack hummed noncommittally in response, feeling himself start to nod off.

There isn’t much banter between them as they finally settled down into bed. Jack’s exhaustion had crashed down on him almost the second his head hit the pillow. He was out before Gabriel even had the chance to pull the covers over him completely.

He didn’t really have a chance to appreciate the fact that this was the first time he had slept in a bed not shared by his entire family, or that he was sleeping in a complete stranger’s arms. He didn’t feel the kiss Gabriel pressed to his forehead, nor did he hear the sad words he said as he stroked Jack’s cheek with his thumb.

When he woke the next morning, he found himself completely alone in his bed. Light streamed in from the windows, chasing away the darkness along with Gabriel.

And that, he would later suppose, was the true beginning of his very strange fairytale like adventure.


End file.
